Clamp



G. E. BAROZZI CLAMP Filed April 22, 1957 35:: HHW

INVENTOR (ya/0o 15 B/QROZZ/ BY CZLOQt ATTO RN EYS Patented May 23, 1939 PATENT OFFICE CLAMP Guido E. Barozzi, Woodclifi, N. J. Application April 22, 1937, Serial No. 138,362

1 Claim.

The invention relates primarily to the art of treating pelts and skins with particular reference I to the stretching thereof for use by the furrier or other manufacturer. The object of the invention is to provide a novel and simple clamp whereby. the stretching of the pelts and skins may be materially facilitated and improved.

Other more specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novlopelty will be pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates several examples of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. l is a fragmentary view of a supporting device designed to function as a drying unit and exemplifying the use of the novel clamp; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one form of the novel clamp; Fig. 3 isa plan view thereof; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4'4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side ele- 1.20 vation of another form of the novel clamp, and

Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4,

the novel clamp comprises a main section or member ID terminating at one end in a clamp- Q .ing jaw I I and continued at its other end in the form of a suitable finger-piece or handle I2. A support I3 of suitable shape and dimensions depends from the main section or member ID, pref erably as an-integral part thereof, while a prog jection or peg I 4 extends downwardly from the ffinger-piece or handle I2 also preferably as an integral part thereof for the purpose to be more fully set forth hereinafter.

The clamp being described further consists of an auxiliary section I5 pivotally connected I at IS with the main section III and terminating in an associate clamping jaw I! located in co-operative relation to the clamping jaw II; to increase the gripping or clamping action of the "jaws II and I1, the auxiliary section I5 or specifically the associate jaw I'I; may be formed ;with teeth I8 or their equivalent, as illustrated I in Fig. 2. Suitable means is provided for mau nipulating the auxiliary section I5 and for lock- I 45mg the clamping jaw I! in operative clamping I-relation to the clamping jaw II. As shown in Fig. 2, the aforesaid means may consist ofa lever II9 pivotally connected at with the one end of the auxiliary section I5, said lever I9 preferably. being conveniently shaped to provide a finger-piece 2| whereby manual operation of said lever I9 is facilitated. For the purpose of developing a clamping action in the jaw I! in cooperation with the jaw II, and in order to lock 55 the section I5 and its jaw I! in clamping position, the locking lever I9 is provided with a cam member or nose 22 adapted to bear against a suitable bearing surface or projection 23 preferably comprising an integral part of the fingerpiece or handle I2 of the main section In as shown in Fig. 2; in some forms the bearing surface 23 may be omitted in which case the cam member or nose 22 may be arranged to bear directly upon the finger-piece or handle I2 of the main section I8 to lock the jaw IT in clamping relation to the jaw II.

With the parts as illustrated in Fig. 2, the lever I9 is in its operative position and the cam member or nose 22 in co-operation with the bearing surface or projection 23 will accordingly lock the auxiliary section I5 against relative pivotal movement on the pivot 20 and thus maintain the associate clamping jaw I! in clamping relation with the clamping jaw II. The jaws II and Il accordingly will firmly grip the pelt a or its equivalent, and thereby will securely connect the clamp with said pelt a as indicated in Fig. 2. To adj ustthe associate clamping jaw I! to an inoperative position, or in other words, to disconnect the clamp from the pelt a or its 25 equivalent, it is simply necessary to pivotally adjust the lever I9 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. This operation shifts the cam member or nose 22 out of bearing engagement with the bearing surface or projection 23 and thereby permits the auxiliary section or member I5 to move pivotally in a direction which shifts the associate clamping jaw I1 away from the jaw I I to relieve the clamping action of said jaws II and I! on the pelt a or its equivalent,v as will be apparent. 3

In the form illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the novel clamp consists of a main section or member I0 a portion of which serves as a clamping jaw II corresponding to the clamping jaw I I of Fig. 2. In the arrangement now being described the free end of the main section or member II] is curved or otherwise shaped to provide a support I3 corresponding in function to the support I3 of Fig. 2 as will appear more clearly hereinafter. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the main section or member III also includes a finger-piece or handle which is shown in the form of a ring I2 and preferably constitutes an integral partof the main section or member ID. The form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 includes a projection or peg M corresponding to the previously described projection or peg I4 and likewise extending downwardly from the finger-piece or handle III preferably as an integral part thereof.

For co-operation with the clamping jaw I I the clamp illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is provided with an associate clamping jaw I! which preferably constitutes an integral part of the means for manipulating the associate jaw l'l and looking it in operative clamping relation to the clamping jaw H As in the form first described, the ma-- nipulating and locking means comprises a lever I9 pivotally connected at 20 with an auxiliary member or section 15*; the latter as shown in Fig. 5 may constitute an integral part of the finger-piece or handle I2 projecting therefrom in substantially parallel spaced relation to the main section or member l0. To facilitate the manual operation of the associate clamping jaw I! the locking lever w may be'conveniently shaped to provide a finger-piece 2| With the parts as illustrated in Fig. 5, the lever I9 is in its operative position and the associate clamping jaw l'l is located in clamping relation with the clamping jaw H The jaws H and I! accordingly will firmly grip the pelt a. or

- its equivalent, and thereby will securely connect the clamp with said pelt a as indicated in Fig. 5. When it is desired to disconnect the clamp from the pelt a or its equivalent, it is simply necessary to pivotally actuate the lever ill in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5. This operation of the lever ill will swing the associate jaw H away from the jaw ll to thereby relieve the clamping action of said jaws H and l'l on the pelt a or Its equivalent, as will be apparent.

In the art for which the novel clamp is specially designed, it is customary to mount the pelts upon a supporting device consisting of a metallic or other plate b provided throughout its surface with perforations c and preferably mounted in a frame (Z; This supporting device with the pelts mounted thereon is then placed in a drying apparatus to serve as a drying unit for the purpose of drying the pelts or their equivalent. With the novel clamp operating in co-operation with the aforesaid supporting device, it is possible to efiect the stretching of the pelts in an efiicient manner during the drying process, thereby avoiding the necess ity for special stretching of the skins as an independent operation as is now generally the case; the novel clamps further support the stretched pelt a in spaced relation to the plate b and thereby provides for an efficient circulation of the drying medium relatively to the stretched pelt a whereby the drying thereof is materially facilitated.

In practice, the novel clamp is attached to the pelt a in such numbers and at such points of the pelt as may be necessary to produce the desired results. Some of the clamps, for instance those indicated as e in Fig. I, are then connected with the supporting device by inserting the pegs M or 14* of said clamps into certain apertures c of the plate I). The clamps j of Fig. 1 may then be used to stretch the pelt a. to whatever extent may be desired or necessary, after which the pegs M or M of the clamps f are likewise inserted into certain apertures c of the plate b. During the stretching of the pelts the finger-pieces I2 or 12 make it possible to develop the pull necessary to effect the desired amount of stretch with a minimum of effort on the part of the operator. It

will be noted in the illustrated forms of .the novel clamp that the finger-pieces El and 2| of the locking levers l9 and I9 respectively, are located in such relation to the finger-pieces l2 and l2 that the thumb of the operator may be used to press downwardly upon said finger-pieces 2| and 2| while the pull is being exerted through the medium of the novel clamps. In this way the locking levers l9 and le are maintained in their operative positions to correspondingly maintain the clamping jaws in clamping position against accidental displacement and disconnection from the pelt a. In any case when the clamps attached to the pelt a. are secured in place upon the plate b the support l3 or I3 rests upon said plate 2) are thereby support the stretched pelts a in spaced relation thereto. The drying medium is thus capable of freely circulating about the stretched pelts a whereby the drying thereof is greatly facilitated. The pegs l4 and M constitute means whereby the clamps are fixed in predetermined positions to efiiciently maintain the pelts a in a stretched condition during the drying thereof.

In all of its forms the clamp itself is simple in construction and requires no skill in its operation. The clamps are capable of being readily connected with and detached from the pelts a or their equivalent, at will, and provide an efficient means whereby the desired stretching pull may be easily developed upon the pelt and whereby at the same time the stretched pelt may be efiiciently fixed in its stretched condition, for instance, upon the perforated plate I). noted that any pulling force exerted upon the clamp of Fig. 5 when the latter is connected with a pelt a will be resisted by the latter and itself will operate to maintain and increase the gripping action of the jaws H and Il The novel clamp not only reduces the stretching operation to its simplest form, but at the same time provides an efficient means for maintaining the pelt a or its equivalent, in stretched condition. The novel clamp furthermore enables the stretching of the. pelts to be accomplished coincidentally with the drying of said pelts and avoids the necessity for independent stretching operations which are now required.

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

A clamp of the kind described comprising a main section including a clamping jaw, an auxiliary section pivotally connected with said main section and including an associate clamping jaw, a finger-piece forming a continuation of said main section and terminating in a holding peg, a bearing projection on said main section, a looking lever pivotally connected with said auxiliary section and including a cam member co-operating with said bearing projection to lock said associate jaw in clamping relation with said first named jaw, and a support depending from said main section for supporting the jaws of said clamp in predetermined operative position.

GUIDO E. BAROZZI.

It will be 

